Forming a doll's personality...

I just roll with it...

My Bisou Ai was supposed to be super outgoing and excitable, but I had a lot of trouble getting her to fit that character... over time she's just kind of evolved into a more sweet and shy little character.
My first doll was supposed to be more reserved as well, but when I started playing around with her, she seemed more opposite from that, now that I've had her for 3 years, she's settled into her character more, reserved most of the time but has her moments.

Just keep playing around and it'll come to you. It might take a while, but eventually you'll find something that works.

I know people who have had a doll fit a character perfectly then tried on a new wig or something and they instantly fit something else and couldn't go back to the character they were before.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?

Yes, pretty much. I find it a very fulfilling part of the hobby.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?

Some of it comes from what associations that the appearance of the sculpt and face-up bring to me. Then, I give them a name, usually referencing a character from a book. There's almost always some quirk or spark that I didn't expect-- but that is part of the marvelous-ness of the creative process.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?

I try not to have too much of an expectation about the personality of the character before the doll arrives. However, I have had some instances where the face-up was not working at all (I define this as being terrifying and preventing narrative possibilities), and in those cases, I changed the face-up as soon as I felt ready and had time. So, I guess for me, it's not so much a problem of the personality being not what I expected (as I mentioned in the the second question, I like to be surprised), but one of finding the character and letting that character express his or herself.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?Yes, I do.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?It usually comes to me either after I hit the "Buy" button or its a character that I've already decided I want in doll form. Even when I plan to wait until a doll arrives to decide on name and personality (like I planned to do when I bought my Iple Cherie Bunny Girl) it didn't work, because I decided she was going to be the character I had wanted to put in doll form for a while. When I think of these things, I just have an "aha" moment, where it clicks. And that's all.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would? I find that when that happens, or a very clear image of their personality hasn't had that 'click' moment, I am just mentally preparing myself to sell that doll. Thats COMPLETELY just in my own experience, though, I know lots and lots of dolly people can change their dolls personalities no problem. That's just my own quirk.

Luckily I feel that I am more sure of my doll choices and have very specific images in mind for them all. I suppose the personality and character is more important than the 'shell' in other words and I haven't run across a doll yet who has demanded a different one.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
But of course! They get a little out of hand sometimes, I know a lot of dolls have a basic personality, but mine always end up with secrets and a history and goals and conflicts and multi-layered personalities... I've always liked making up characters xD I guess it shows

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
A lot of times it starts out with an image, a sketch or just something that popped into my head, or a really cute dress, a movie, anything visual I guess. That's just me though. After that I start thinking, "what would it be like if I had a doll like that? How would she act?" and the longer I wait for said doll, the more I ask myself "how does she react to certain situations?" and sometimes I come up with a really bland answer, but then it develops into something bigger. With Dorothy, she started as a doodle of two dolls wrapped up in a scarf, and then I thought "what if Eloise had a girlfriend, or a cute little awkward love interest... hmm yes, and she'd be all awkward and big sisterish about it, and Dorothy would look up to her but be a little intimidated by her, and talk to her about all her problems..." and just that ended up with Dorothy becoming a timid girl with a lot of inner conflict about what she wants to do and how she thinks of herself, and Eloise gaining hidden motherly qualities xP I'm not sure if that shpeal made any sense ;;; It's a slow process for me. If I can start out with a picture, or a theme, then it's really easy to wrap a story and character around that. It doesn't have to be a lot- Eloise's beginning was a drawing of a doll in a teacup, and Dorothy's character was almost completely inspired by a purple sweater xD

 

Ah personalities. =_=

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?

Yes I do, since I do enjoy character creation to an extent.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?

I stare at photos of the sculpt, first and foremost, and try to get a feel for what kind of personality it would be. Normally, if I don't feel anything at this stage, the doll won't come home. If I do feel something, I'll start making space for them in the story, usually just slotting them where it makes sense for them to appear, deciding on interactions and relationships.

Next, I try to decide on hair and eye colour, so at least I have something to put on them when they get home. Sometimes... fine, most of the time, they end up changing their hair and eyes once they get home, so it's good to have spares around. *grumbles about having to take things off the marketplace for picky new dolls* I'll also take the time to consider what sort of faceup to put on them, especially if it's gonna be SFX style stuff.

When they get to me, I try the wig/eye combinations until I get a reasonable match. This is also when I do faceups, if they don't already come with faceups. I play with them a bit at this point in time, to see if they've got any strange quirks I can work into the character. For example, one of my boys kept groping my better endowed female friends because of the particularity of his stringing, so that got thrown into his character (loves boobs).

Next step would be to let them interact with the other dolls. Of course, with a little bloody-minded stubborness and patience, I could probably force interactions however I want, but I find it more fun to pose them together a bit and take note of the difficulties/ease and work it into the character (eg. X hates Y because I can't ever get them to hug).

The doll's personality would be pretty much established by this time. I've even had headless bodies and bodiless heads expressing their personalities to me in this fashion. Then comes the most difficult part: name and history.

Sometimes, I do give them names first, but I like my names to be a little bit special, so sometimes, it can take awhile, weeks and months even. Lately, I've taken to giving them titles to refer to them by while coming up with names. =_= And names are usually related to character background, which usually takes me some time to settle on as well (try months into years). But well, it may be vexing at times, but I treat doll character creation as a process that will go on and on. Keeps things interesting at least. XD

QAQ

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?

I felt depressed for awhile, back when I was meticulously mapping out each doll character and trying to force them onto the dolls. Then I decided to heck it and treat the character creation process more like a 'getting to know' process. It's still vaguely off-putting when my best laid plans decide to derail themselves, though there are ways to coerce dolls into fitting their characters (a change of faceup/wig/eyes/wardrobe/accesories usually helps).

I would say, nowadays, if the dolls turn out too different from my plans, I would just run with it unless it irritates me enough to sell the doll. ^_^

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Yes, they do~

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
Mine are usually based on characters I've in mind so their personality are sort of "ready" for them. But I have one case in which I can't decide which character to give to a particular doll, at first he was supposed to be a certain character with a certain personality but after receiving him, it seem like he could also suit another character with a different set of personality....

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
It depends, I guess. I'll see what personality the doll would bring out for that character and just roll with it, as Tayma puts it, since I find no point in forcing a "personality" on a doll. I had one doll where I changed so many different outfit style, and wigs from his default look and even names and still had trouble bringing out his personality, eventually, he just went back to who he originally was - the default, sweet little boy. I guess it takes time. In extreme cases where a doll totally cannot fit into a character I want, I might consider selling the doll and getting one that might fit the character, but I consider selling a last resort and this would depends a lot on the circumstances I guess.

 

All of the dolls I've gotten have changed personalities on me, actually~!

My first doll was supposed to be sweet and shy and he turned out to be a bit devious and very hard-headed. My second was supposed to have tons of courage and be a leader, but turns out to just be bossy and a little manipulative (she pretends to be sweet, but she's really not!) The third was supposed to be the nice, kind older sister, but wound up being more of a stereotypical popular girl.

I think they develop their own personalities depending on the smallest things. For example my third doll became a 'popular girl' because whenever I stood her up, she'd **** one hip to the side. Things like that are things you don't plan when you buy the doll, but the smallest things tend to make the personalities.

The doll I recently bought's mold appears to be a little more smug, if you look at the official photos. I am hoping the smug look doesn't translate into different face ups, because the character planned for him is not smug. But I also know that things like wig style, wig color, and eye color make a big difference when you look at a doll's personality.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Yes ^^ I think that's why I got involved in the first place (or one reason, hehe)- this was the first sort of doll I'd come across where I could do that (all my other kinds of dolls are dust-collecting shelf-babies).

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
Well, with Ichabod, I had him for about a month, not knowing much beyond name and looks, when I just sat down with him one night and had a "eureka!" moment ^^; It really all came at once, fit perfectly into place with very little tweaking, and it did seem to be that he "told" me his story. James was a result of Ichabod's story- Ichy had told me about his one and only friend and demanded I bring him to dolly-life. Ichabod told me everything about James before he arrived, and he has had some changes since getting here, but the basics are still there.

I have a floating head who is supposed to be a character I've had in my head for a while, and even bodyless, wigless, and with the wrong eyes he sure fits it. The character is a bit of a creeper, and a jerk, and the floating head is exactly that XD Now, the girl I have on layaway hasn't got a story yet, but her name seems perfect and will probably help define the rest of her.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
I haven't really had this problem, yet. Ichabod had zero expectation upon arrival, and thus worked himself out; James fits how he was "described" to me by Ichy pretty well, although he is a bit different (mostly more reserved), and I haven't had much else to base it on ^^;;

 

It's those personalities that I love most about this hobby. Any time I do a faceup, I enjoy the sudden "life" that brings to the blank head; I love seeing One-offs, because there are all these different personalities obvious in them.

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Yes. All of my dolls are based on OCs, although in some cases they have created OCs for me.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
In the few cases where they didn't have a personality waiting for them, I just handled them and tried stuff on and waited for inspiration to strike. It usually comes pretty fast and from rather random places.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
I see what other OCs they might work for. However, getting the wig, eyes, faceup, and clothes right will usually get them into character properly.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Most definitely.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
Mine is based on the Addams Family. Some of them are similar to actual characters, some had to be made up entirely. I have a great source of inspiration to create new characters.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
Find a new doll for that particular personality. Or scrap the personality altogether.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
My dolls ARE personalities! That's -- who and what they are! My current dolls, and all future dolls, are modeled on previously existing characters from my overactive imagination - and I wouldn't have it any other way. It makes them so much easier to shop for - and at the same time, so much harder...

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
Tantalus has been a character of mine for about ten years now. He just developed over time. Started out as a magic-using 'enabler,' and mutated slowly into the raging queer blaze totally out of control that he is now. Only ten years after his creation do I finally understand how and why he's always been so... ornery. I don't feel like I created him myself, like I put him together like a Frankenstein monster. He just happened.
Zin is similar, but he materialized completely in about one year. His basic personality hit me one day on the basis of a name (Zinnober) and the vibe that name gave me, and as I continued to work with him against a former friend's characters, he unfolded and I learned that he was not just whips and chains, but Force-A-Nature and lightsabers too.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
Not an option. My dolls are selected with the personality in mind. I pick the face that speaks to them. Rather, THEY pick their own face - and I spend the money. It sounds like perhaps I've lost my mind and this is all way too intense for a hobby, I agree - but when you've got a bunch of riotous boys in your head demanding gorgeous resin replicas, who am I to argue?

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?

Yes, because it's what makes collecting resin dolls so much fun.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?

I usually invent one based on my impression of the way the doll looks, although sometimes, I make up a character and then hunt for a doll to cast in this role.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?

This sometimes happens when the doll arrives and looks different in person than I expected from its photo. If I love the way the doll looks anyway, I just dress it and keep it until I get a bright idea. I always get an idea about it eventually and I don't mind waiting until it pops in my head. I like being surprised this way.

 

A Yes, of course! They all do! in the case of my resin crew.

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
All my BJD have theirs. If I do not see a, already given or own creation, character I really want to have in a BJD I do not buy it.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
For the already given characters, it has to be following their storyline and sticking to it. But for all of them, writing stories about them, my favorite way by far to develope their personalities. That is how my own creation ones were born in my mind before thinking about ordering any of them, but I think even taking photos of them you may get some clues.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
Fortunately, this has never happened to me, maybe because of the way it works for me. But if it happened I think I could manage with it.

Tell me your tactics for finding out who your new doll is!
As said, storyline, writing, taking photos,... The way you customize it and the style you feel that fits might also be a good way of finding out.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Well yeah! This hobby would be so dull for me if they didn't. Plus I like typing stories out so it's really cool if the dolls have characters.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
First, I buy the doll. While I wait for it to arrive, I start thinking about what kind of character this doll should have. I don't buy anything for it until I'm totally sure. I ask myself how this doll's character will go good with the other doll's and different types of photo shoots or stories I could write up. I also make a character based on the dolls sculpt. I can't make an angry sculpt have a bubbly character.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
Well, then it's back to the drawing board. I have actually decided I want to give my dolls all new looks because their current ones no longer fit my tastes or I don't feel it's suited to them. I would never sell my dolls, so revamping them always works for me when the face-up, wigs, eyes & clothes aren't suiting them anymore.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character? Yeps, some take longer than others.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality? Either the doll is made off of a character I already have and the doll itself is merely an expression of said character, or I sit there and make it after spending time with my doll.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would? That happened with Amadis. Orignally I wanted him to be a silent, unfriendly fellow that hates everyone. Now he seems like he's the quiet, with-drawn fellow that actually really is a kind person that is very 'mothering'(fathering, I suppose) to the younger girls. Not much of a change, but, enough to make a difference. I'm pleased when I see things changing for the better.

 

I don't think I give my dolls their personality, it's sort of something I notice more and more over time. It's like developing a character for a novel or even a game like D&D - Eventually you know the character inside and out, but it's still in your head.

I know I get weird looks when I say my dolls have a personality, but they are simply an embodiment of the same kinds of characters I write in my novels. I know neither one is real, but I still know who they are.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character?
Absolutely. I come from a roleplay/world-building background, so it was just natural to instill a character and backstory to all my dollies.


How do you go about forming your doll's personality?
This has changed substantially since I first entered the hobby. I started off planning to shell two of my old, very well-developed imaginary characters, and my first doll was one of the chars. To cut a long story short, it was an exercise in frustration, the char didn't work with the doll at all no matter how hard I tried, and I got a bit burnt out by the process. Then I realized that my existing imaginary chars were too real and alive in my mind, and just won't stoop to confining themselves into static doll-forms. So I'd best not try in the first place.

Now, instead of buying a sculpt to fit an existing char, I buy the doll first then think about a char later. I do form a general vision of the doll's personality (again, comes from being a RPer and world-builder), but leave the nitty-gritty details and backstory for the arrival and bonding process. That has been a HUGE success: in fact, the dolls that have a personality formed around them have stayed with me and I wouldn't part with them for all the world, whereas the dolls that I tried to force an existing personality into have all failed and been sold.


What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would?
Well, since I've had so much angst trying to fit a doll into a preexisting personality, I keep an open mind now and have few preconceived ideas. While I do have a general idea of how the incoming doll fits into the existing continuity and relationships with my crew, ultimately I have to get to know the doll itself, play with it for a while, take photos and try out different looks, until something solid falls out. That's all part of the bonding process for me.

 

Do you give each doll in your collection a personality, or character? yes, considering all I have right now is Emily, but Yoko has one plannedish, I know she is the daughter of Emily's host family and that she holds a great power that she inherited from her mother. I hope she will be just as playful and cunning as I imagine her, but I've been burned once and I know that it might happen again.

How do you go about forming your doll's personality? I'm learning more and more about Emily everyday. she likes to be in her school cloths, then I've been watching Ghost Hunting shows and she seems to give most of them disapproving look, then again I figured out she likes religions and finds that those who mess with spirits are going to be hurt, bad. It's a learning thing, I figured out that Emily likes japanese food (she's American) and I'm now making her a bento for her.

What do you do when your doll has a totally different personality than you expected they would? Emily was going to be my character Maira, but as soon as I put her wig on and played with her the character just didn't stick. The real kicker was that the characters is an adventure so I did a few photos on a tree, then on the last photo she fell ( I caught her before she hit the ground) so I knew then and there that Maira would have to have another form. I picked the name Emily saying I would change it if they name didn't fit. Emily is not a happy high schooler living in japan with a crazy family who own one of the two Shinto Shrine in Hiroshima. She has a story of her own. It took a while, but she's becoming her own character these days ^.^

 

Absolutely! Any doll should have one. The faces themselves give the doll a certain bend to a personality. Some of mine came immediately with a personality and others were calmer and developed over time. But each one is an individual , that's for sure.

Forming the personality takes time even for the ones who seem to come with an instant one, I learn more about the doll each time I visit with them.

That has happened! I have one doll who wasn't anything like I thought he was going to be when he first came, but I like him just as he is. He's a bit over cultured but it's him! So what can I do? It's just the way he is. Since I try to take people the way they are I figured I needed to give him that same respect.